BJP heavyweights trail as TVK surge reshapes Tamil Nadu election trends

Chennai: Early trends in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results on Monday indicated a setback for several high-profile BJP leaders, even as the contest tightened between the ruling DMK and actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which is emerging as a strong challenger across the State.

State BJP president Nainar Nagenthran is trailing in the Sattur Assembly constituency, where he is contesting for the first time after shifting from Tirunelveli.

He is currently behind DMK candidate Kadarkarairaj A by 909 votes, reflecting a difficult electoral battle.

Union Minister L Murugan is also facing headwinds in the Avanashi (SC) constituency, trailing TVK candidate Kamali S by 2,080 votes, according to the latest counting data.

In Chennai’s Mylapore constituency, former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is trailing TVK’s Venkataramanan P by a substantial margin of 9,296 votes, underscoring the strong performance of the Vijay-led party in key urban seats.

The BJP, contesting 27 seats as part of its alliance with the AIADMK, is witnessing mixed fortunes across the State. BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan, who shifted to Coimbatore North after winning Coimbatore South in 2021, is currently trailing TVK’s V. Sampath Kumar by 839 votes.

However, the party has managed to secure leads in a few constituencies. BJP candidates M.R. Gandhi, Bhojarajan M, and C. Nagesh Kumar are ahead in Nagercoil, Udhagamandalam, and Thalli, respectively, according to Election Commission data.

Elsewhere, in Vilavancode, BJP candidate Vijayadharani S is trailing Congress’ Praveen T.T. by 6,697 votes. In Salem North, Tourism Minister R. Rajendran is trailing by 5,508 votes after 10 rounds, with the TVK candidate establishing a comfortable lead.

The TVK’s growing momentum is evident across multiple constituencies. In Virudhunagar, TVK’s P. Selvam has extended his lead to 2,455 votes over DMDK’s V. Vijayaprabhakaran.

In Karur district’s Krishnarayapuram, TVK candidate M. Sathya is locked in a nail-biting contest, leading by just five votes against AIADMK’s S. Dhivya.

Meanwhile, AIADMK and its allies have shown strength in pockets, with S. Rajendran leading in Ariyalur and PMK’s Vaithilingam ahead in Jayankondam.

In Chennai’s T. Nagar constituency, TVK’s N. Anand has opened up a commanding lead, underlining the party’s expanding urban footprint. As counting progresses, the trends point to a significant churn in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with TVK emerging as a major disruptor to the State’s traditional Dravidian dominance.

IANS